Wheel construction



Aug. 4, 1931. I a MEGS 1,817,699

WHEEL CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 2, 1926 INVENTOJE N BaSiLMezyS;

atented Aug 4, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT orrica BASIL MEIGS, OFWASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA WHEEL CONSTRUCTION Application maJanuary 2, 1926. Serial No. 78,937.

masking the protruding or projecting axle cap customarily found onwheels of both the disk and I spoke type. More specifically, however,the invention about to be described is directed to the improved coverdisk having 1 special features of construction and design which not onlymaterially reinforce and strengthen the same but at the same timefacilitate its use and applicationto wheels of the wooden spoke type,thereby not only 'ving added strength to this type of wheel ut alsoadding to the ornamental appearance thereof and providing therefor ananticollision feature which is very desirable. It is well known thatwheels ofthe wooden wire spoke or steel disk type, and thereforethe-present invention when used in connection with a wheel of the woodenspoke type gives added strength and rigidity thereto while at the sametime providing an increased factor of safety. In that connection,however, it is to be understood that the application of the improvedcover plate is not limited in its usefulness to wheels of the woodenspoke type but may also be used in wheels wherein a metal diskconstitutes the grain load sustaining or load carrying mem- A furtherobject of the invention is to provide a-novel cover plate formed toprovide means for stiffening theplate or disk at its point of attachmentwith the felloe of the wheel so that the same will firmly engage thefelloe in such a way as to prevent rattling or squeaking and at the sametime distributing the vertical loading strains and horizontal sidethrusts -more adequately throughout the circumference of the felloe. Astill further object of the invention is to provide a cover member whichmay be spoke type break easier than wheels of theused in connection withstandard wheels now on the market so that no mechanical change oralteration is required to effect the installation of the presentinvention.

With the above and other objects in view which will more readily appearas the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consistsin the novel construction,- combination and arrangement of partshereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

' Apreferred and practical embodiment of the invention is shown intheaccompanying drawings, 1n wh1ch:

Flgure 1 1s a vertical sect1onal view of the improved wheel, the line ofsection being" on the line 1-1 of Figure 2.

' Figure 2 is a side-elevation thereof.

' Fig. 3 is a detail cross-sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig.2.

In carrying the present invention into effect it is proposed to providea novel cover member desi nated generally as C adapted to be applie tothe felloe /B of'a wheel W having an axle A, the said cover memberserving to completely seal and mask the axle as well as the spokes ofthe wheel W, .or in case the wheel is of the steel disk type as shown inthe patent referred to, it will cover the main load carrying disk.

The present novel type of cover is primarily designed to provide afelloe seat whereby the cover member may wedge tightly against thefelloe; to provide a stlfiened and reinforced construction having astiffening and reinforcing shock bead placed where the deviation fromthe line of force has its greatest magnitude; to provide a cover memberhaving curved surfaces which eject dirt and facilitate the maintenanceof the wheel in a clean condition; to provide a disk which is designedto avoid striking against curb stones or similar projections above thenormal level of the road bed; and also to provide a guard or shield forthe axle which will not only avoid the ensnaring and striking ofpedestrians but at the same time ward off the dangerous effect ofcollisions which often result from the axles or hub caps of passing carsstriking together.

Referring to the drawings it will be ob served that the outer peripheralportion of the member G is provided'with an anti-rattle and stifleningflange designated generally as 1, the same having an outwardlyprojecting bead 2 provided with suitable opeings for receiving the rimbolts so-that when the rim lugs are applied the force thereof willfirmly press the beadl tothe side of the felloe. In that connection itwill be observed that the stiifeningflange or bead 1 includes an annularcentering rib 3 which is formed in the opposite direction from the bead2 thereby to engage with the inner circumference of the felloe. The saidrib 3 provides in effect an inwardly projecting shoulder for engagingwith the felloe or equivalent part, not only to provide a seat for thecover member but to also insure the transmission and distribution ofstrains and shocks to all parts of the wheel.

It will be observed that the stiffening flange 1 as well as the parts 4and 5 of the wheel'are substantially parallel to the plane of rotationof the wheel, and the part 4 is connected to the flange 1 by means ofthe offset curve 4a which is carried outwardly as far as may be on sucha radius still to provide adequate curb clearance. Also the part 4 isconnected with the part 5 by means of the compound curve surfaces 5a and5b which are joined by a stiffening and reinforcing bead 6 which isplaced where the deviation from the line of force has the greatestmagnitude, and also stifi'ens the disk so that it may more adequatelytransmit shock directly to the main load sustaining member BW.

The flange 1 which includes the compressible head 2 and the centeringrib 3 permits the cover member to be applied to felloes that are worn aswell as those that are new, and the resiliency of the bead contributesgreatly to the holding power of the rim lugs or clips. Also the rib 3,bearing as it does against the inside of the felloe, substantially at acorner thereof, enables the transmission of shock to all parts of thefelloe, while without such a member as C, only the part of the wheelbetween the axle and the ground takes the load and the shock. In otherwords, since the present cover member circumvents, or is free of the hubcap or axle, the load is distributed above and below the axle, therebyadding greatly to the stability of the wheel. The flat or substantiallyflat portion 5 at the center of the cover member not only provides thecollision safety factor previously referred to but also tends todecentralize the wheel, as distinguished from wheels now in general usefor the reason that it more adequately distributes the load as abovereferred to and at the same time produces an entirely different visualeffect which permits of ornamentation, when desired, that will addgreatair, one way of accomplishin ly to the attractiveness andappearance of the wheel.

As shown in the drawings the cover member C is provided with means forpermitting access to the valve stem at the outside of the wheel.

' While of course any suitable and convenient means may be utilized inconnection with the present cover to provide easy access to the valvecap for filling the tire with the desired result is by attaching a hoodmember 7 to the rear face of the cover adjacent the periphery thereof,the said hood 7 constituting a guide for a valve stem having a flexibleportion. That is to say the hood 7 cooperates with an opening 7 in thecover disk to permit of the passage of the end 8 of a valve stem memberdesignate-d generally as V, the said part 8 being provided with anannular shoulder 9 for engaging with the edge of the opening 7 'when thevalve is projected therethro-ugh. The exposed end of the valve may beprovided with a cap 10 as usual. Referring more particularly to thevalve stem V it will be observed that the same consists essentially ofthe inflexible section 8 previously referred to and a main inflexiblesection 11, the said sections 8 and 11 being connected by a spring-likeintermediate section 12 made of flexible steel or rubber. The section 8is provided with the usual valve mechanism and is convenientlyaccessible from the outside of the cover disk, when the same isinstalled, to permit of the filling of the tire with air. In this typeof construction it is not necessary to use a retaining nut on the valvestem, although it may be used if desired. However, often the retainingnut is not used on the ordinary valve stemandeven in devices where it isaccidentally ,or intentionally omitted it is seldom that much dirt isfound to work into the felloe through the space between the valve stemand the valve stem opening in the felloe.

With the construction of the valve stem V shown in Figs. 1 and 3, inparticular, it

will be observed that when the stem is firstthrust through the hole inthe felloe and strikes the curved guide 7 it will pass through theopening 7 until the shoulder 9 engages over one edge of the opening thuspreventing the stem jumping back into the tire body as it often does instructures now in use while other manipulation of the tire is going on.

.While the shoulder 9 is primarily designed to take the place of theretaining nut, nevertheless such nut may be used if desired.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the present inventionprovides a cover member wherein the same is provided with adequatereinforcement where necessary to more effectively meet the particularconditions under which the disk is intended to be Ill used, while at thesame time providing the other advantages herein set forth.

Without further description it is thought that the features andadvantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled inthe art, and it will of course be understood that changes in-the form,proportion and minor details of-construction may be resorted to, withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention and scope of the appendedclaims.-

I claim:

1. A wheel construction includin in combination with the wheel having ai elloe and mounted on an axle, a cover member having an attachingflange portion at its peripheral edge including an outwardly ofl'setcompressible stiffening bead adapted to be engaged by a rim lug to holdthe same to the felloe.

2. The combination of a vehicle wheel having a hub, of a cover platehaving its peripheral portion adapted to be secured adjacent to the rimof said wheel, a guide member carried by the cover plate, and aninflatin valve stem having a flexible ortion where y the valve stem maybe de ected by said guide to be exposed at the outer face of the coverplate.

3. A wheel construction includin a member having a hub and a felloe, rimugs carried by the felloe, and a disk member having a compressibleperipheral bead adapted to register with the felloe and adapted to beengaged by the rim-lugs.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

BASIL MEIGS.

